PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its stake in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) by 26.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,194 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,789 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.06% of PriceSmart worth $1,769,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PSMT. River Road Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PriceSmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $19,078,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in PriceSmart by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 621,697 shares of the company's stock worth $57,302,000 after purchasing an additional 140,515 shares during the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. boosted its position in PriceSmart by 2.7% during the third quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 2,818,927 shares of the company's stock worth $258,721,000 after purchasing an additional 74,201 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 5.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,182,739 shares of the company's stock valued at $108,552,000 after purchasing an additional 65,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Burney Co. purchased a new position in shares of PriceSmart in the fourth quarter valued at $5,030,000. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other PriceSmart news, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 555 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.42, for a total value of $50,183.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,143,903.36. This trade represents a 0.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Mccleary sold 4,000 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.67, for a total value of $358,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 58,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,213,503.47. This trade represents a 6.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,162 shares of company stock valued at $1,930,402 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 17.10% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of PriceSmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th.

PriceSmart Price Performance

Shares of PSMT traded up $0.95 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $89.08. 148,740 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 178,520. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.51 and a 52-week high of $99.23. The company has a market cap of $2.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.19.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.22). PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.29% and a net margin of 2.76%. The company had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. PriceSmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.75%.

About PriceSmart

PriceSmart, Inc owns and operates U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, and Colombia. The company provides basic and private label consumer products under the Member's Selection brand, including groceries, cleaning supplies, health and beauty aids, meat, produce, deli, seafood, and poultry.